1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article transportation system, and more particularly to a system including a transporter vehicle driven by an electric power from a battery mounted on the vehicle and a station having a translator apparatus for translating an article to and from the vehicle.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
A plurality of stations each equipped with a translator apparatus for translating an article to and from a transporter vehicle are disposed aside a traveling line of the vehicle. The stations need to be supplied with an electric power for driving their translator apparatuses. For this, the prior art has provided an electric wiring work for each station to be supplied with the electric power (e.g. see Japanese laid-open utility model gazette No. 63-169221).
However, when the stations are used, for instance, as stations for supplying or withdrawing various kinds of articles to or from an assembly line, due to a modification of this assembly line, there occasionally arises the necessity of adding new stations or moving the once-installed stations to new locations.
Then, according to the prior art, since the wiring work is needed for each station in order to supply the electric power for the translator apparatus of the station, such addition of new stations or movement of the old stations may prove very difficult. In this respect, the conventional art has room for improvement.
The present invention attends to the above-described state of the art. A primary object of the present invention is to provide an article transportation system which significantly facilitates addition of new stations or movement of the old stations in the system.